Today, many people have pets for themselves or their children. Of course, acquiring a pet, a person assumes responsibility for its maintenance. And for this you need to properly feed the animal. In order to choose the right food, it is important to know how and with what equipment the feed for cats and dogs is being produced.
Granular feed
In order to make such a feed, it is necessary to grind hay, straw or any other feed ingredients, and then mix them according to the desired recipe with other additives that contain the necessary minerals, trace elements, bone or meat flour, etc. Production of cat food and dogs is a profitable business that allows its owner to receive a stable income all year round, and for owners - to maintain a correct and saturated diet in the animal.
It is worth noting that, without knowing the theory, it will not work to produce such a feed yourself, even with the equipment, however, scientists have developed some complex recipes for production. For example, the technology for producing food for cats and dogs in granules is carried out according to a strict recipe, at the end of which the food is combined into granules. The dimensions of this product can range from a few millimeters to several centimeters. The choice of product sizes depends on which pet lives in humans.
Release technology
If we talk about general technology, the production of feed for cats and dogs is reduced to the following general points:
- the process of grinding cereals;
- mixing with organic and mineral additives;
- heat treatment along with the humidification process;
- granulation or granulation;
- drying and cooling of the final product;
This is a schematic diagram of the production of dry food for cats and dogs. This recipe is a common technology. The difference between all other recipes is only in the constituent parts of the feed base and its additives.
Dog food production steps
If everything is clear with the general technology for producing this product, then production itself begins.
- The first step is to mix all the necessary ingredients.
- The second step is adding hot water and mixing again.
- The third stage is the process of processing the feed with pressure and steam, as well as the passage of raw materials through the die heads, which are engaged in the formation of granules of the required size.
- The fourth stage is the drying of the product.
- The fifth stage is spraying granules with various fats, as well as flavor enhancers.
- The sixth and last stage is the packaging of finished feed in packages.
About this is how the process of producing food for cats and dogs is carried out.
Composition and demand
At present, the facts are that the demand for dog food is about half that of cat food. The main reason for this was that people most often prepare food for these animals at home on their own. Usually these are cereals, soups, etc. However, this is an unbalanced food, from which dogs very often get sick or they may get wool. The composition of the feed for these pets usually contains the following elements: ground cereal grains, fish and bone meal, meat types of additives, soy, milk powder, fat and other elements. This product is balanced and beneficial for the animal.
Dry Feed Equipment
In order to manufacture this product, you must have some devices. The list of necessary equipment for the production of dog and cat food includes devices such as:
- crusher;
- mixer;
- dispenser;
- extruder
- feeders;
- filling unit.
This kit is suitable for the production of dry feed only. Naturally, the amount of product that can be produced, for example, per day of work, will directly depend on the capacity and performance of the purchased units. If there is a need for the production of a granular product, then slightly different equipment for the production of food for cats and dogs will be needed;
- grain hopper;
- hopper for additives;
- mill;
- mixer, loader;
- air conditioning (hopper with steamer and unloading auger);
- granulator;
- cooler.
It is also worth noting that the above sets are only standard and necessary devices. If a need arises or is desired, several auxiliary devices can be added to them. For example, you can purchase a plant for grinding silage or straw, or you can add a larger number of matrices in order to be able to produce granules with a large number of different sizes.
Lines
Cat and dog food production lines differ in their technical parameters, as well as in productivity per hour. For example, a line with a capacity of 200 kg / h will allow its owner to make animal feed, which will be extruded, that is, cleaned of harmful microorganisms. The technical parameters of such a line are as follows:
- Electricity consumed during the operation of the line is 92 kW.
- The area that will be needed to accommodate all the equipment is 80 sq.m.
- The number of people needed to service all the elements of the line is 5.
Extruder
Before embarking on an extrusion process, the feed must go through such steps as mixing and conditioning. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the conditioning process is one of the most important that must be performed. During this operation, the feed is first moistened, then heated with hot and dry steam under a pressure of 0.2 to 0.5 MPa, as well as a temperature of 110 to 130 degrees Celsius. After this process is completed, the feed will become more ductile, which will improve the subsequent extrusion process. It is important to note that feed extruders are the latest technology to make a fully digestible and clean product from feed.
After the conditioning process has been completed, the feed goes to the hopper of the extruder. Then, with the help of a feeder, the product is transferred to the working body. It is worth noting that in the receiving hopper of this apparatus, it is possible to add various components to the feed composition.
The extrusion process, which takes place in this equipment, consists of the following steps: heat treatment, moisture removal, sterilization, texturing, as well as granulation. The heat treatment in this unit takes place by supplying hot steam for 4-6 seconds, after which the feed pressure is 30 atmospheres. The fact that the raw material is processed in just 6 seconds gives the advantage of the complete preservation of the protein, as well as improving the availability of lysine from the feed. Extruders for feed also add such positive qualities as: improved palatability, improved digestibility. These two advantages allow you to increase the weight of the animal, spending less feed.
Line Benefits
The presence of the line gives such advantages:
- Allows you to carry out the production process of feed from completely natural ingredients.
- It guarantees a large surface, as well as an improvement in its porosity, which will allow the gastric juice of the animal to better penetrate into the product.
- Received raw materials from production using the line has a less coarse structure than after granulation, which avoids injury to the animal’s esophagus when eating feed.
- The resulting raw material is coarse-grained, which means that it does not form dust that could adhere to the digestive or respiratory organs of the pet.
- Granules obtained from the line are resistant to abrasion.
- Stability and stability of the goods during transportation.
- Compound feed hygiene is higher.
- The presence of an extrusion processing process improves feed digestibility by about 30%.
Wet feed
The production of wet food for dogs and cats is carried out in three stages.
The first stage is freezing or cooling offal, which are delivered for processing. During this process, with the help of knives or choppers, they are cut, receiving meat pieces that are striking when opening the package.
The second important element in the production of this type of feed is a binder sauce. The preparation of this viscous liquid passes according to a special recipe, which provides for the use of different thickeners, gels. They are necessary in order to create the necessary texture and texture of the dish.
The last, third stage is sterilization. Since very few preservatives are added to this type of food, unlike dry food, this process is very important. After the container with the product has been filled, it is placed in a special thermal installation, which brings the temperature to a strictly defined level, thereby sterilizing the feed.